Localgreens: Sweet Holiday Treats
By Robin Mattson
Okay, here’s the thing…I could have come up with another way to use winter root vegetables for holiday entertaining. And it would have been great. But let’s be honest. That’s not what any of us really want, certainly not at this time of year. After the Thanksgiving leftovers are cleared out, my culinary thoughts turn to visions of sugared (anything) dancing in my head.
Every family has their favorite holiday cookies. This is the time of year we all dig up our long-cherished recipes that have been handed down from one generation to another. Eventually some cookies become tiresome, and are rotated out of the roster. But other recipes stand the test of time to become standards, replayed every year like classic holiday carols.
In our home Pecan Puff Ball cookies have become a Christmas tradition. I enjoy serving them when friends drop in and everyone seems to love them. These are simply my favorite cookie to bake and give away to family and friends. Sometimes a homemade gift can give the most pleasure to those you love, especially when they’re this delicious. I usually make several batches to keep up with the requests for more, more, more!!! These can also be made ahead and frozen for holiday giving. Just make sure they’re packed in tightly-sealed, freezer-friendly containers.
Pecan Puff Balls
Yields about 3 dozen cookies
½ cup, plus ¼ cup confectioner’s
(powdered) sugar
2 sticks unsalted soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup of coarsely-chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with a “silpat” sheet, or parchment paper.
Into medium-sized mixing bowl, sift ½ cup of the powdered sugar (for dusting pecan cookies), set aside.
In separate mixing bowl, cream butter and ¼ cup powdered sugar; add vanilla and almond extracts.
Stir flour and salt into the mixture.
Blend in pecans.
Roll teaspoon-sized dough into neatly shaped balls and place 1” apart on cookie sheets.
Bake about 20 minute but check them at 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a rack, about 5 minutes.
Roll cookies into sifted powdered sugar. When cookies have cooled completely, roll them in the powdered sugar for a second coating.
Stir in airtight containers or tins.
Popularity: 30% [?]
